Save your virtual seat to the 2026 Dallas Herring Lecture

U.S. Department of Education releases final accreditation rule | Per reporting from Community College Daily, the final rule “substantially extends the federal role in accreditation, along with some procedural streamlining for accrediting agencies seeking recognition by ED and institutions changing accreditors.” During the public comment period, the American Association of Community Colleges urged the department to roll back some of these expansions to no avail. The new regulations take effect July 1, 2027. During the negotiated rulemaking process, which took place in May, the lead negotiator for public institutions was Dr. Monty Sullivan, interim president of the North Carolina Community College System.

Apprenticeship pay-for-performance funding portals open | The U.S. Department of Labor has opened applications for its pay-for-performance Incentive Payments Program, through which Registered Apprenticeship sponsors can receive direct payments of up to $6,000 per new apprentice in priority sectors including shipbuilding, defense, IT, telecommunications, advanced manufacturing, and SI/semiconductor/nuclear infrastructure. Learn more about each of the incentive funds here. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all available funds have been obligated.

NCCCS hosts next two regional convenings | The system held meetings at Wayne Community College and Gaston College last with with college leaders and workforce partners.

NCCCS Student Innovation Council holds first meeting | Ten students from across the community college system convened at Lenovo’s Global Headquarters on Oct. 20 for the inaugural meeting of the NCCCS Student Innovation Council. The council will gather student perspectives on challenges throughout the college journey, advise system leaders on how technology and services can better meet students’ needs, and bring forward recommendations to guide improvements across the 58 colleges.

Leading through trauma | In this EdNC perspective, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College President John Gossett reflects on leading during and after Hurricane Helene.

Latest research on eight-week courses from the Belk Center | Two new briefs from the Belk Center examine outcomes from eight-week courses. One looks at whether student success differs between first-half (A term) and second-half (B term) eight-week courses, finding that students are consistently more successful in A term than B term. Another looks at how first-course term length influences subsequent course success, finding that students taking eight-week courses achieve similar levels of success in their second sequenced course compared to traditional 16-week lengths.

Dr. Kimberly Gold begins as interim president at James Sprunt | Dr. Gold will serve full time on the college’s Kenansville campus while James Sprunt Community College conducts its search for a permanent president.

South Piedmont Community selected as finalist for 2027 Bellwether Award | The award recognizes innovative programs that address critical challenges facing community colleges. South Piedmont is being recognized in the workforce development category for its Health Sciences Academy, a partnership with Union County Public Schools and Atrium Health that creates tuition-free pathways into healthcare careers.

Case study on career and educational planning at Durham Tech | This case study accompanies the Community College Research Center’s brief “From Goals to Graduation to Post-Completion Success” and explores how Durham Tech spent the past several years making career and educational planning an expected part of every student’s experience.

Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt highlights need for cybersecurity workforce pipeline at Fayetteville Tech | During the visit, Hunt watched a simulated cyberattack in FTCC’s IT/OT Lab, talked with a student panel about their experience in the program and the cybersecurity workforce, and engaged with students in a perimeter defense class.

NCCCS releases 2025-26 Economic Development Annual Report | The report highlights that NCEdge trained 33,878 people; ApprenticeshipNC supported 16,759 Registered Apprentices; BioNetwork trained 2,669 specialized workforce trainees; and the Small Business Center Network helped launch 872 businesses.